Ship&#39;s-screw-driving mechanism for submarine boats.



W. MAIER.

SHIPS SCREW DRIVING MEUHANISM FOR SUBMARINE BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1908.

943,434. Patente l Dec. 14, 1909.

% l l l k fl l l l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILHELM MAIEB, OF STUTTGART, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO FRIED, KRUPP AKTIEN-GESELLSCHAFT GERMANIAWEBFT, F KIEL -GAARDEN, GERMANY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

Application filed August 15, 1908. Serial No. 448,756.

' To all whom it may concern:

l 3e.it known that I, WILHELM MAIER, a cltizen of Germany, and a subjectof the Emperor of Germany, residing at No. 46

Birkenwaldstrasse, Stuttgart, Germany, have invented a new and useful'Shi s-Screw- Driving Mechanism for Submarine Boats, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of ships screw driving mechanismfor submarine boats, in which each propeller shaft is connected with adriving en he and, an electromotor under' the contro of an operator inthe boat and in which each propeller shaft can be worked se arately fromthe driving engineor together t erewith, and in which each motor can befed by a generator driven by a special auxiliary motor or by a batteryof accumulators The object of the invention isto provide a ships screwdriving mechanism-of this kind which enables the screw shafts tobeeconom ically started as well as quickly'reversed, and moreover permitsthe number of revolutions of the screw shafts tobe quickly adjustedwithin certain limits to any dwired value.

In the drawing the invention isdiagrammatically shown by way of examplefor two propeller shafts.

U pon the screw shafts A A which can be connected to-the driving motorsB B (explosion motors for example) by clutches C G? which can bedisconnected, are mounted the armatures D D of electromotors. Thearmatures are connected up in parallel with the conductors d d leadingto a double pole reversing switch P, and are likewise connected witheach other by, a double pole reversing switch 'F. The field'windings E Eof the electromotors, which are likewise connected up in parallel, areconnected'to a battery of accumulators K by conductors e 1.: and 6 M. Inthe conductor 6 is inserted a variable resistance Q The primary stationconsists of a motor G (an explosion motor for example). and a doubledynamo machine. The armatures H H of the latter are coupled by a' shaftHwhich in its turn can be connected to the shaft G of the motor G by aclutch M capable of being thrown out of operation. The armatures H-H;are connected up in series. From the free terminal of the armature H aconductor if leads to a switch R, which is connected to the accumulatorconductor in, and a second conductor h to the double pole reversingswitch P.

From the free terminal of the armature H a conductor l2. leads to astarting resistance S, which is connected to the accumulator conductor kand also by another conductor b tothe reversing switch P. In

the conductor h is also placed a starting resistance T. The conductor hvconnecting the two armatures H H is connected b a conductor h to thereversing switch R. he field windings J J of the double machine areconnected to a reversing. regulator N or to a variable resistance N andinjpar'allel by conductors i i to the accumulator conductors 7: k

When a submarine boat equipped with the above described driving.apparatus is to travel on the surface of the water, the clutches C C arethrown out of operation, the switches P and F opened, and the currentgenerating plant G H J H J set wor'k- 3 ing. If the motor G be anexplosion motor it can be started in a simple way by means 0 :themachine H J, which is driven as a motor from the battery K by means ofthe switch R is at o sition I 'I. r The armature H runs conjoint y-as acentrifugal mass. As soon as the engine G has been set in motion, theswitch R is brought into position II. The en ine G now in its turn setsthe armatures H in rotation. As the field wind ings J J are fed from thebattery K, the double machine now forms two generators connected inseries. It should be remarked here that the excitation of the fields J Jmay be also effected by a separate exciting machine.

After the primary station has been set in motion in the mannerdescribed, the double pole reversing switches P and F are brought lntothe position 2 or 7. The motor armatnres D D are'then connected to thedynamo machines H J H J by the conductors h d on the one hand, and bythe conductors h h d on the other hand, while the current for the fieldwindings E E is taken from the accumulator battery K by the conductors ke and k e The starting and the adjustment of the number of revolutionsof'the motor armatures D D also is now accomplished by LOO terminals ofthe armatures H H by means of the reversing regulator N. If the fieldproceeding from the winding J be oppositely directed to the fieldproceeding from the winding J then, according to the strengths ofcurrent present inthe windings J J the fields and therefore the armaturetensions of the armatures H H cease entirely or partially, while if thefields be similarly directed, they are added together so that byshiftingthe reversing regulator N command may be had over a tension varing from zero to the sum of the tensions 0 machines H J H J for thedriving of the motor armatures D D. The number of revolutions of themotors D E, D E may be still further augmented by weakening the fieldstrengths of the windings E E by means of the variable resistance Q.Other maneuvers, such as running backward and turning, are accomplishedby means of the double pole reversing switches P and F. If the reversingswitch P be thrown over into position 12 then both shafts A A reversetheir direction of rotation, so that the direction of movement of thevessel is changed. After throwing over the switch F into position f onlythe shaft A reverses its direction of motion, that is to say the screwswork in opposite directions. Each motor may also be driven separatelyafter switching off the connecting conductors between themotor armaturesD D If it be desired to raise the speed of the vessel to the maximum ofthe total output of the driving mechanism, then the driving engines B Bare allowed to Work upon the screw shafts A A in addition to theelectromotors D E, D E For this purpose the clutches C C are thrown intoaction. In this case the starting of the engines B B if they areexplosion engines, is effected from the shafts A A During prolonged runson the surface of the water, which require a mean output ofthe engines,the screw shafts A A are driven the engines B B alone. The clutches C Care thrown into operation, so that the motor armatures D D are carriedaround conjointly as centrifugal masses. The switch P is opened and nocurrent can therefore pass through the motor armatures D D.

The construction of the primar station in the manner set forth alsoprovi es eflicient means of regulating the electromotors D E D E whenrunning under water. In this case the switch R is brought into positionIII, so that the accumulator battery K is connected to the armature H bthe conductors k h on the one hand, an the conductors k h. The reversingswitch P is' next opened and the field J unexcited by suitably adjustingthe reversingregulator N. The clutch M is thrown out of action and themachine H J started idly as a motor by means of the starter S from thebattery K the and brought to its normal number of revolutions. Thearmature H runs at first at the same time conjointly as a centrifugalmass.

As soon as the exciting curre'nt coming from the battery K flows throughthe winding J by manipulating switch N, the machine H J runs as agenerator. If the 11mgnet field J of the machine H J be simultaneouslyexcited, by'suitably adjusting the reversing regulator N in such adirection that its terminaltension is oppositely directed to the batterytension, and'the reversing switch then closed, the 'electromotive forcesin the conductor branch h P d D D (Z P la. will be balanced since switchR is in position III; no current can then flow through the motorarmatures D D. If the field J of the driven machine H J be now weakenedby means of the reversing. regulator N, the battery tension willreponderate, and there arises at the terminals of the motor armatures DD a namo H J be now excited by the throwingover of the reversingregulator N in the opposite direction, so that it adds its armaturetension toxthe tension of the battery, the number ofrevolutions of theelectromotors D E, D E goes on increasing until, when the ma net field Jis wholly excited, they run at Full speed. The machine H J works at thesame time as a motor and takes current from the battery K. V

The above described way of supplying current for the electromotors D E,D E by accumulator batteries and transforming machines, has the advantae that both the starting, as well as the regu ation of the motors, canbe accomplished very economically. If the current for the motors weretaken direotly from the accumulator batteries K, the motors would haveto be started with a starter. This would however mean a great loss. ofpower when starting. In this case also the alteration in the terminaltension at the motor armatures D D required for the reduction of thenumber of revolutions of the motors D E, D E would only be possible byregulating starters which work ver uneconomically. By altering the fieldexcitations EE the normal number of revolutions of themotors could onlybe increased, but not reduced.

The recharging of the battery K is ef fected while running above water,when the propeller screws are driven by the driving engmes B B alone andthe auxiliary motor are in this case excited in shunt from the armaturesH H. The tension can be easily regulated by means of the reversingregulator N.- Should a break-down occur at the primary station G, H, J HJ the electromotors D E,'D E may be started and fed directly from thebattery K by means of the starter T. The machines H J, H J are at thesame time switched off from the conductor h or k by moving switches hand 8 into the positions shown in dotted lines and the switch R isbrought into the position I.

If the clutches C C M be constructed as electro-magnetic clutches, thenall the neccssary manipulations for the driving and moving of thevessel, including the starting of the driving engines B B G, maybeperformed from a common operating point.

Claims.

1. In -a screw-driving power plant for submarine boats, the combinationwith the propeller shafts; a drivin engine 'for each shaft; anelectro-motor or driving each shaft, said engines and motors beingadapted to act together or separately to drive their respective shafts;an auxiliary engine; a generator driven by said auxiliary engine andconnected up to drive said electro-motors; an electric accumulatoradapted to provide current for said generator said generator comprisingtwo direct-connected generator elements connected in series and beingprovided with connections adapting one of said generator elements to beoperated as a motor for driving the other generator element. I

2. In a screw driving power plant for submarine boats, the combinationwith the propeller shafts; of a driving engine and an electric motor foreach shaft; means adapt ing said engine and motor to act separately ortogether upon the propeller shaft; an auxiliary power plant comprisingtwo generators connected in series and an engine for driving the same;an electric accumulator for exciting the fields of all the aforesaidelectric machines; a circuit through which said accumulator can be madeto drive the first mentioned motors; another circuit through which saidaccumulator can be made to drive one ofthe generators as a motor; and aswitch for closing and opening said circuits.

3. In a screw-driving power plant for submarine boats, the comblnationof two pro- .peller shafts; a motor mounted on each shaft; a combustionengine adapted to be brought into driving relation with each shaft; areleasable clutch for connecting said combustion engine to its ownpropeller shaft; generators for supplying current to said motors; acombustion engine detachably connected in driving relation with saidgenerators; an accumulator for exciting the fields of said motors andgenerators; a circuit for connecting said accumulator in drivingrelation with said motors; a circuit for connecting said accumulatorwith one of said generators to adapt it to run as a motor; and a switchby means of which either of said circuits may be opened and closed.

t. In a screw-driving power plant for submarine boats the combinationwith the motor-driven propeller shafts; of combustion engines adapted tobe connected with said driving shafts; an auxiliary power plant forsupplying current to the motors on said propeller shafts, said auxiliaryplant comprising two generators connected in series and a combustionengine for driving said generators; an accumulator for energizing thefields of said motors and said generators; a circuit for connecting oneof said generators to said accumulator to act as a motor and a switchfor closing and opening said circuit to adapt said generator-motor tostart the combustion engine of the auxiliary plant, said switch beingalso adapted to close the field energizing circuits.

5. In a power plant for operating the screw-driving propeller shafts ofsubmarine boats, the combination with the propeller shafts, motorscarried thereon, andv combustion engines detachably connected therewith;of a generator plant for supplying current to said motors; a combustionengine for driving said generators, said engine being detachablyconnected with the generators; an accumulator for energizing the fieldsof said motors and generators; means for connecting the generators withsaid accumulator in such manner as to adapt one of said generators toact as a motor for starting the explosion engine connected therewith;and means for charging said accumulator from the generators. when drivenby the combustion engine.

The foregoing specification signed at Stuttgart, this twenty-ninth dayof July, 1908.

WILHELM .MAIER;

In presence of ROBERT ROMANN, FRIEDRICH GROSSMANN.

